Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The invention relates to closures for containers. More particularly, the invention relates to closures having tamper indicating features which must be broken or torn to initially open the closure.
A variety of container closures have been developed or proposed wherein an initial opening of a lid or a dispensing spout structure provides visual evidence of such an occurrencexe2x80x94even after the lid or spout has been subsequently closed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,487,324; 4,941,592; 5,201,440 and 5,875,907 disclose closures which incorporate a locking band or tab that is attached to either the lid or the body of the closure with a plurality of frangible webs so as to initially retain the closure lid to the body in the closed position. To initially open the closure, the user must break the frangible webs by pushing or pulling on a tab or band.
While the above-mentioned closures can function well for the purposes for which they have been designed, it would be desirable to provide an improved tamper-evident closure which could be readily fabricated to associate with certain types of lids or flow control elements and which, prior to initial opening, could enhance the cosmetic appearance of the closure. It would be desirable if such a tamper-evident closure could be easily installed on a container in its tamper-indicating ready condition for eventual delivery to the consumer.
It would also be desirable to provide an improved tamper-evident closure comprising at least two separate components wherein the components could be advantageously designed to be frictionally held together prior to assembly of the closure on the container. In particular, it would be beneficial if the improved closure could accommodate a design providing sufficient frictional engagement between two components of the closure to allow the components to be assembled together and maintained in that assembled configuration during subsequent handling, shipping, and installation of the assembled two-closure components together on a container by automatic capping equipment. However, it would also be beneficial if the improved closure could accommodate an alternate design wherein such frictional engagement would not necessarily be required when the installation of the components is to be made directly onto a container without necessarily requiring assembly of the closure components prior to installation on the container.
It would also be beneficial if such an improved closure could readily accommodate its manufacture from a variety of different materials. Further, it would be desirable if such an improved closure could be provided with a design that would accommodate efficient, high quality, large volume manufacturing techniques with a minimal product reject rate. Preferably, the improved closure should also accommodate high speed manufacturing techniques that produce products having consistent operating characteristics unit-to-unit with reliability.
The present invention provides an improved closure with tamper-evident features which can accommodate other designs having the above-discussed benefits and features.
The closure structure of the invention provides an effective tamper-indicating feature which evidences unauthorized access or tampering with a contained product.
One form of the invention comprises a closure structure for a container which has a neck defining a dispensing opening and a radially extending retaining element spaced from the dispensing opening. The closure includes a cap having an end wall for at least partially closing the opening of the container neck and having a peripheral skirt for engaging the container neck to mount the cap on the container. A sleeve is provided for surrounding the cap on the container neck. The sleeve has an annular wall sized to surround and engage the cap skirt with sufficient force to hold the sleeve and cap together as a unit and to accommodate installation of the sleeve and cap as a unit on the container neck so that relative rotation between the cap and sleeve is minimized at least during installation of the cap and sleeve together on the container neck. The sleeve has a top retention member extending inwardly from the annular wall over at least part of the cap. The sleeve has a snap-on engagement member engageable with the container retaining element to prevent axial separation of the sleeve from the container neck and to accommodate rotation of the sleeve and cap together in the screwing on direction without fracturing the sleeve. The sleeve also has a frangible feature configured to be torn by a user for permitting at least partial disengagement of the engagement member from the retaining element and subsequent removal of the surrounding sleeve from the container neck. This provides access to the cap.
Another aspect of the invention provides a cap that comprises a closure body and a closure lid accommodating movement relative to the body. The closure body has an annular sidewall for extending from the container neck and has an end wall defining a dispensing orifice in fluid communication with the container dispensing opening. The closure lid has an occluding portion that is movable with the lid to occlude the dispensing orifice in a closed position and that is movable away from the closed position to uncover the dispensing orifice. A tamper-evident sleeve surrounds the closure body and the lid. The sleeve is engageable with the container neck below the closure body to prevent axial upward displacement of the sleeve with respect to the container neck. The sleeve includes a retention member overlying the closure lid to prevent movement of the lid to open the dispensing orifice. The sleeve has a frangible feature that can be torn to permit removal of the retention member from over the lid to allow the lid to be moved to open the dispensing orifice.
Another aspect of the invention provides a tamper-evident sleeve that can be separately molded and assembled over a cap prior to mounting the assembly on a container. The sleeve has an engagement member in the form of a bead which is snapped over a retaining element of the container neck. To facilitate installation of the sleeve and cap together on the container, the sleeve is provided with interior knurling or ribs which engage exterior knurling or ribs on the cap. The mutual engagement of the interior and exterior knurling or ribs ensures mutual turning of the sleeve and cap. This operation is advantageously performed in rapid fashion by a capping machine.
Another form of the invention provides a closure structure for a container which defines a dispensing opening. The structure includes a cap for closing the opening of the container. The structure also includes a separate sleeve which is molded as a unitary structure from a polymer material. The sleeve has an annular wall that (i) is sized to surround the cap on the container, (ii) has an upper opening, and (iii) engages the container to prohibit axial separation of the surrounding sleeve from the container. The sleeve also has a retention member extending across the sleeve upper opening as a unitary part of the sleeve to connect two portions of the annular wall at a location over the upper opening. The sleeve also includes a top frangible line across the retention member at a location over the upper opening. The sleeve further includes a side frangible line extending throughout the height of the annular wall. The sleeve also has a pull tab defined as a unitary part of the retention member between the top frangible line and the sleeve annular wall. The pull tab can be pulled to tear the top frangible line and side frangible line for facilitating removal of the sleeve from the cap and container.
The tamper-evident sleeve of the invention prevents unauthorized and undetected removal or opening of a closure cap from a container, or of a lid and/or a closure body from a container. According to the exemplary embodiment of a closure having a body and lid, the sleeve prevents undetected opening of the closure lid from the closure body, and prevents undetected removal of the closure body from the container neck.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings.